Prep Genrl Weekly prep thread- January 14-20, 2024

kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Well, an afternoon of big, fluffy flakes has given everything a good layer. Around me you can't tell the road from the grass.

Son decided to have one of his "everything out the window" tantrums this morning. That resulted in a trip outside with socks, shoes, jacket, hat, and gloves. Much to his disgust. And then it was the fastest cleanup in a long time once he started to process how cold it was. At that point he was grabbing by the handful and tossing it back in. And then he bolted for the door to get back inside. And tried to say "cold".

We are back to the micro ice pellets. I don't figure much, if anything, is going to be melted by tomorrow. The temperatures just keep dropping. I'm going to get another cup of hot tea and watch a movie or read a book. After I figure out dinner.
 
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moldy

Veteran Member
-9* here now. Low tonight is -20 with a wind chill of -36. So glad we have a woodstove! I checked the chickens and turkeys earlier - they are fine and the cats are cuddled up under the very heavy juniper out front. Dogs are in the house, and poor DH is out plowing. It's no longer snowing here - I think we only got 2-3 inches or so. If it will just stay put and not drift, it will all be good.
 
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philkar

Veteran Member
Reading all of you experiencing the cold makes me bite my lip. Our ice isn't due til 8 or so tomorrow. We covered crops in the garden with hay and a friend came and helped us harvest cabbages, and root crops. Being overly cautious I covered the onions! We covered the chicken pen with plastic as it is not draft free. And added a few bales of hay to cover the root cellar door. Praying that all of you stay warm and safe tonight. Nothing like wood heat is there?!
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
It's -9 (actual) here. I hung my salvage wool blankets over the front living room windows and the big kitchen window and porch door. Everything helps when it's this cold. My furnace is very unhappy. And, yes, I changed the filter early on and check the furnace exhaust vents morning and night for ice build-up (did it before I left for the Caucus.)

Temps will start to moderate tomorrow morning, so one more bad night.

Going forward, I need to get someone better out here to evaluate my furnace. It's fine down to zero, but it can't handle the sub-zero stuff.

Off to bed!
 
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hd5574

Veteran Member
It's about 27 here in Central Virginia...it's been snowing for hours..... south of us down by Richmond it's changing to some form of ice..we will have snow all night maybe up to 5 inches....then mixed precipitation tomorrow
Then dropping to about 9 tomorrow night..maybe more snow on Friday
Gonna give up and get in bed and read for awhile...we are doing fine...
Praying all stay warm and safe...
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I woke up to 10, feels like -6. Power companies are worried about blackouts due to demand. And it's not supposed to warm at all until Thursday. It may not warm up enough then to clear the roads. Going to be interesting.

I found picture posted of the highway through the center of town. I've never known that road to not be drivable, even if there were piles of slush. As of now, despite the traffic, it is solid white, snow over ice.
 
briches

briches

Veteran Member
hd5574 said:
It's about 27 here in Central Virginia...it's been snowing for hours..... south of us down by Richmond it's changing to some form of ice..we will have snow all night maybe up to 5 inches....then mixed precipitation tomorrow
Then dropping to about 9 tomorrow night..maybe more snow on Friday
Gonna give up and get in bed and read for awhile...we are doing fine...
Praying all stay warm and safe...
Click to expand...
We got about 3 1/2 inches here. They forecasted anything between a trace to five inches.
Snow day for me which I am thankful for. I am thankful power has held as I worry for my students when it goes out.
We are cozy with the wood stove going. No place we have to be.

You know I will get some reading in today and will do the menu planning for the week.

Prayers continue for all here. Stay safe and warm.
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
last day in the single digits - BIG warm up into the double numbers the remainder of the week - 30s and even a 40 degree day next week ....

hoping this might have been the big winter hurrah - the weather starts to moderate in February and Valentine's Day is a good mid-point date every year .....
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Everything is covered in ice around in our area. We got more ice than snow. Everything is shut down. All schools and businesses are closed. The road in front of the house is solid ice. Our gate is probably frozen shut, too. Our high today of 23* with real feel of 15*. Tonight, our low is going down to -1. It's currently 14* with real feel of 5*. Our dog didn't even want to go out this morning to do his business. He made one step off the porch, did it, and came right back in. He always runs our fence line every morning. I'm making extra cornbread every night to feed all the birds that hang out on our deck. They love it, because Cary forgot to get bird seed when we went to town. We're keeping warm water in their bird bath. It keeps freezing solid.

Taco soup and cornbread really hit the spot last night. Enough left for our supper tonight. What's left after tonight will go in the freezer. I'm planning a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup for tomorrow night. That will last 2 nights, also.

Sunday started the 3rd week, since I was bitten. If I could get the burning, stinging, and infernal itching to stop, I would be over it by now. Bite marks are still red, puffy, and visible.
 
Countrybumpkin

Countrybumpkin

Veteran Member
It's a balmy 9F here, with the wind chill of -3F...Had the wood furnace cranking since Saturday night! Coal at night, wood during the day. I get up once a night to go and check and see how the coal is burning, and add some if it needs it. Supposed to get to 16F today-first day in the double digits for 3 days!
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
It's -8 here (Central Iowa), with wind chills something like -21. I'm working from home today. As I did yesterday, I'll wait until the noon hour, start my car, and take a careful drive around town (to warm up the car). The roads are much better. Schools and many businesses are still closed today, due to the cold. I'm sure a lot of folks just can't start their cars. This why I'm been starting mine each day.

We have a few days in both the summer and winter where it's just better to hunker down at home. I'm thankful that I'm not an essential worker and can do that!
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Yeah, I know... it's nerve pain from the venom. And it is *miserable*!! If the bites weren't so close to your eye, I'd suggest capsaicin cream... essentially hot pepper! It works by "fatiguing" the pain response... the cells eventually run out of Substance P, which is the "pain messenger " to the brain. It might work by dabbing a small amount from the outside tip of your eyebrow down to your cheekbone... but don't rub it into your eye!

Summerthyme
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
summerthyme said:
Yeah, I know... it's nerve pain from the venom. And it is *miserable*!! If the bites weren't so close to your eye, I'd suggest capsaicin cream... essentially hot pepper! It works by "fatiguing" the pain response... the cells eventually run out of Substance P, which is the "pain messenger " to the brain. It might work by dabbing a small amount from the outside tip of your eyebrow down to your cheekbone... but don't rub it into your eye!

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

That's one cream I don't have. I have plenty of cayenne pepper powder and essential oils, though.
 
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hd5574

Veteran Member
We ended up with about 4 inches of snow...but no sleet....it is 34 right now....but they are saying about 7 tonight....and several very cold nights this week... planning meals and baking that will give maximum oven use....to add extra heat to the kitchen.....
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Its in the high 20's, the sun is shinning and the snow that we got is mostly melting except in for whats in the shade. I'm sure this is an understatement but I'm tired of this crap. It will be in the 40's tomorrow, I see some relief there.

I got the new pot of soup in containers and mostly in the freezer last night and I'm close to being through in the kitchen. And the meat loaf is almost gone and I still don't care for it. Soup again today but need to have something different for tomorrow, maybe spaghetti.

I've been wearing pjs for the last three days, I'm tired of that too. But they are warm. Stay safe everyone.
 
patriotgal

patriotgal

Veteran Member
Started rig this am. 5 deg. Beautiful day. Sun shining bright on snow.

Went to Hy Vee. Wish we had one at home. Just hit Macy's and found 3 nice shirts for $6 each. Vacation clothes covered.

Currently chilling in one corner of mall while kid gets clothes for grand. Nice clean safe mall. Didn't know there were any left.

Totally enjoying my little dose of civilization. Don't want to live here but it is nice to visit.

Kids at home in Arkansas got 10 in of snow yesterday. KC forecast has us considering flying out a day early
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Got the car going. Temperatures were almost 8 degrees and full sun. I decided to drive to the HyVee (one town over), and get half-pies for the snow angels (they cleared my driveway twice with their huge snowblowers) -- I called the bakery ahead of time. Yes, they baked this morning.

Everyone is on a diet, but I know the half-pies will be welcome. I'm putting my energy into finishing the floor, so baking isn't an option right now.

HyVee had only one set of doors open and there were tarps hung around the entrance to contain some of the cold air. I don't think they've had full deliveries for awhile: there were a lot of products missing and the produce section hadn't been stocked for awhile. That said, I got the pies, bacon (for me), and a few other items. There were about a dozen older women, like me, shopping, but the employees out-numbered the shoppers.

I also went over to the post office and mailed my first Medicare premium and payment for new car tags. Those were checks, so I wanted to mail those inside of the post office. I figured the parking lot would be nearly empty and I could park near the door. I was right.

It was nice to get out, but it was even nicer to be able to come home. While the main routes were mostly clear, there were still icy patches that will re-freeze tonight. It would not be a good night to leave town.
 
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Toosh

Toosh

Veteran Member
I've been sewing on insulated roman shades that I can put up temporarily to provide extra insulation over some extra large windows. I used heavy velvet twill with a quilt batting. I also installed magnets along the side that holds them close to the outside edge of the window casing. Got them finished last week - just in time. Because of the weight, I had to resort to pull strings rather than the touch and roll shades. I'm thrilled. The windows are completely sealed and the shades are easy to control but each of them need tweaking in one way or another. This week, I guess I'll be taking them down, one at a time, making tweaks and put them back up until each are perfect.
 
feralferret

feralferret

Veteran Member
Wife has had a cold for four or five days. I woke up this morning with a cold. Staying in as much as possible and staying warm.

I will have to get out later to get more medicine for my wife. Unfortunately I can't take any over the counter meds with a cough suppressant as I am extremely allergic to the ingredient for that, dextromethorphan. Ended up in the hospital once with a severe reaction. Don't want to do that again. Will just have to use Vicks to control coughing.

I am taking my normal C, zinc, and D plus I have added quercitin and bromelain supplement and elderberry gummies. Hopefully I will be able to kick this fairly quickly. I feel like crap at the moment, though.
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Another cold, cold day. And work. And just life. Son decided he wanted to explore outside on his terms. Two bolts outside to run back and forth for a few times and he decided that was enough. But he was laughing his head off.

Fingers crossed, I will get the 1099s done by the end of this week. And a pile of other things. We are bringing on another person. This one is... more willing to learn and work. Since she is housebound for the next few days, she is using it to knock out training materials. She is a self starter and went looking for training materials in areas where her knowledge is low. I have more hope for her being long term.

And the discovery of the evening is that bacon grease will take care of mice. I was saving it, tucked in a corner, for the traps I ordered. And, well, now it's just one mouse left to catch when the traps get here. And I'll fry up some bacon for the grease. Maybe next time I'll just go for that first. There are two electric traps and three "tunnel" traps on the way. All are reusable. I am past done with this. There is no food easily accessible so they went after the bath soap.

Roads are still frozen. The counties have all deemed the roadways impassable. And turns out that if you have a vehicle accident when out on impassable roads, your insurance can refuse to pay for any damages from an accident. That info has been being shared everywhere.

And the power companies are now asking people to turn the heat down in order to not overload the system. It's going to be an interesting weekend if things don't unfreeze on Thursday.
 
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moldy

Veteran Member
Home again, thank goodness. Would appreciate some prayers for discernment and wisdom. I have another herbal opportunity, but I'm really unsure of the location and would just like God to give me some clarification. I would appreciate a boost of prayer from ya'll if you don't mind.
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Meemur said:
I didn't know that about insurance! Wow.

Added: said a prayer for you, Moldy.
Click to expand...
I didn't know either. But at the same time, I can understand it. If the roads are deemed impassable then, unless it's an emergency, you are choosing to put yourself and your vehicle at risk.

I can see it mainly being used if you really don't have a reason to be out. Because there are always people that have to push the limits and do stuff "just because".

I did get amused to see a snow mobile come shooting down the road though. Definitely not a typical sight down here. I guess someone who moved from much further North still had theirs.

The towns have actually been trying to clear the roads. It's not working because the ice came first. They can push the snow off but that ice isn't going anywhere yet. And the vehicles are just making it thicker when they compact the snow on top of it.

A local photographer did a walk around town and got some really nice photos. Probably a good things because otherwise people will forget. I still have pictures and video from the 2011 storms and people are always surprised to remember just what it was like. Anyways, the photos make the town look like a fairyland. But they did get some very realistic shots as well.

Moldy, saying a prayer that you are given guidance that you can recognize.
 
patriotgal

patriotgal

Veteran Member
Praying for you Moldy.

The Hy Vee we visited was well stocked. They were closing early. No school today because of cold. Lots of young teenage girls at mall. They couldn't be bothered with jackets so they were flat out running to vehicles after leaving mall.

Grands attend a homeschool coop school. Tomorrow afternoon they are going sledding. Although they were off today they did have to home test on labeling all 50 states and writing in the capitols.

Stocked up on some herbals that aren't available at home. Everyone we dealt with today was so pleasant. And helpful. At home salespeople can't be bothered to actually help you find a dress or pair of pants.

Tomorrow is empty the fridge day. Neighbor said she puts fridge content list in chatgpt and asks for recipes. Might try it just to see what we get. Did some Brussel sprouts with olive oil and garlic salt in oven today. First time I have enjoyed Brussel sprouts.

Going over everything in suitcases tomorrow. Gotta make sure we have passports since we don't have real id's yet. Not excited about removing shoes and tossing belongings in bins but it is what it is. Making memories grands will have when we are gone. We all have books to read during flight.
 
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Digger

Veteran Member
1* here again this morning. We should break freezing today and tomorrow before a few more days at below freezing. The state roads are mostly clear. Side roads are still ice/snow covered.we got out and got our mail. Our drive is 1/2 mile and uphill most of that from the highway to the house. He had to put the truck in 4 wheel drive to get back up. Hopefully today we will get some more melting on side roads.

I got some more paperwork done on taxes. There isn't just a lot more to do. We are still waiting on year end paperwork to come in the mail. I am always glad to get finished with my part and turn it in to our CPA.

No good sales at Kroger this week. I don't need anything much any way. With just 2 of us, we don't go through as much food. Today we need to finish some leftovers then tomorrow I want to make potato soup. Yesterday we had one Italian sausage that we needed to use. We made 2 personal pan pizzas with salad for brunch. We generally only eat 2 meals and a snack. But if we eat at a buffet in town, we eat that one meal a snack.

I need to start prunings fruit trees. I am thinking about doing some of the small ones while its above freezing today. I need to get out and get some exercise. I feel better if I do.

Everyone stay warm and safe.
 
briches

briches

Veteran Member
We had a snowday yesterday and another one today. Perhaps I will be a little more productive today as I didn’t do a whole lot yesterday (which was wonderful).
It is bitterly cold, and I am very thankful to have the wood stove here.

Stay safe and warm everyone. Uplifting all here in my prayers.
 
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SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
We're still covered in ice down here. We might get above freezing, today, so some of it should melt. High of 33 is forecast, and the sun is shining. Went down to 0 last night. Snow is predicted for Thursday and Friday, again! I don't think we'll get much, if any, accumulation.

Chicken soup is made and simmering on the stove. We've got plenty of firewood in the house to keep it going. I also cooked up a pound of bacon in the oven while I was making the soup. I'm out of homemade bacon pieces, so I went ahead and cooked the bacon for that. I need the bacon pieces for our potato salad in a couple of days. I crumbled them and put in a freezer bag for the freezer. I like to have bacon pieces and crumbles on hand all the time. I use a lot of them.

I went through and checked all the spider traps this morning. Not a single insect or spider on any of them. I might have killed that sucker when I used the spider spray. I hope it died a painful death! I have a dentist appointment, Monday, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep it, until this bite is healed. The pain and itch is still something I've never contended with before. Not like this. The cortisone cream helped, but not much. My eyelid is stinging something awful this morning, and I can't put anything on it to help. I wish I had known it was a spider bite when it first appeared and started the charcoal poultice right then. It probably wouldn't be so bad by now.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Prayers continue for rapid healing, SB.

It's +15 (actual) here. Headed to work in a few minutes, but I wanted to check on everyone here and glance at the news.

My furnace is happier now that it's above zero. It's still a little chilly but much better than it has been. I'm down to a hoodie instead of a hoodie and a light coat. (I wear a hoodie at home much of the winter).

More snow in the forecast for Thursday. I keep repeating to myself how good it is for the water tables, but I wouldn't mind if the snow held off for a week until I can finish the "fine grooming" around the sidewalks and drive. When a snowblower is used, there's always little piles here and there that can become tripping hazards.

Wishing everyone a great day! Stay warm and safe.
 
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